Simplify the following expression: $z = \dfrac{-2}{8y + 7} + \dfrac{5y + 3}{8y + 7}$
Solution: Since the expressions have the same denominator we simply combine the numerators: $z = \dfrac{-2 + 5y + 3}{8y + 7}$ Combine like terms: $z = \dfrac{5y + 1}{8y + 7}$